The Unknown Song
by FiveForFighting09
Summary: Tony had disappered on a normal day. The sun had been shinning and the forest that Tony had walked into hadn't contained a rabbit hole into Wonderland. But it had been the last place his team had seen him. This is what happened. This is Tony's story.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own, nor am I making profit, off of this story or NCIS. _

_Note: This story follows The Leaving Rhapsody, The Finding Symphony and The Shaping Melody. I recommend you read those first but if you choose to begin here, know that the first three are...complimentary to this one and the ones to follow._

**A/N: FINALLY! Alright, quick note before you're on your way. We're back at the beginning. For the most part, scenes in italics do not happen in order; view these scenes as more of Tony's thoughts, dreams, nightmares, etc... Scenes in normal font happen in order and are events that are in the "now". Is it a tad confusing? Why, yes. But this is Tony's story. Did you think it was going to be simple?**

* * *

Chapter One

_**Unknown: Nameless; Stranger, anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found.**_

**_Song: a distinctive or characteristic sound made by someone_**

_It was dark, when he opened his eyes. _

_Somewhere out there, he could hear the voices._

_Faster…Slow down….Coming for….Hurry…._

_He stood shakily to his feet. Everything hurt. He didn't understand. His arm wasn't working right and it felt as if someone was inside his brain, playing with the controls to his hearing._

_Coming….Look….Over there…..Find him….Bring him back….._

_Who was out there? What had he done? Were they looking for him? Why? What had he done?_

_He used the hand that didn't hurt to pat himself down. He searched quickly and blindly. It was dark. _

_Voices were all around him and someone was coming, looking for him._

_But why?_

_Kick his butt…..Find him….Shoot him….Look…._

_He stumbled back, biting down hard on his lower lip to keep the scream of pain in his throat. He searched faster, coming up on an ID of some sort. It was too dark to see it really well, but he could make out the first name._

_Anthony._

_Kill him….Tony's out….._

_Anthony set the ID down, continuing his search. _

"_Look…here!" A voice rang out, about fifty yards away from where Anthony stood. Why couldn't he hear properly?_

_Anthony stood. He had to move. He couldn't let them catch him._

_Hurry, Anthony, before your father…_

_Anthony, my dear boy, why in such a rush…_

_Anthony grabbed his head with his hands. Too many voices. Too loud but too soft. His head hurt. Everything hurt._

_Hurry, Anthony. They're getting closer._

_Anthony please, do listen…_

_Anthony go-_

_Anthony don't-_

_Anthony hurry-_

_Anthony-_

"_Stop, stop, stop," Anthony whispered. It hurt. He didn't understand what was happening...he didn't - there were too many voices, too many noises everywhere. He didn't know what to do. His head hurt and nothing was right._

_What-_

_Run!_

_So Anthony turned his back and ran._

* * *

"Excuse me sir, you need to leave. Park closes at 11."

Tony moved sluggishly, having not eaten in awhile.

And he was thirsty.

So thirsty, he wondered if he would get terribly sick from drinking that old bottled water over there…

"Mac, help me move him. Guy's probably drunk off his ass."

Not drunk, Tony wanted to tell the man; but couldn't find the strength in his body.

But no matter.

It wouldn't matter what these people thought about him.

Not in a few hours anyway.

* * *

_Blood. Blood was everywhere. On his face and on his clothes and on his teeth and he could taste it, could taste her and what was happening?_

_She had been alive and now she was falling, falling, falling down…_

_In the water. It wasn't blue. He hated blue. Blue meant slowly suffocating. Not being able to breath._

_But someone was down in the blue, the murky blue and Tony had to get to them._

_And he had to hurry._

_He pulled at the window but it wouldn't budge._

_Someone was banging on the window that was a wall and Tony couldn't move the wall that closed but someone was behind it-_

_Someone-_

_Then his shoulder was grabbed and he was thrown backward and he turned, he had to fight, he had to stay alive because this person was going to kill him if he didn't move, but suddenly she was there and he wished he had died when-_

_Alive. She was alive but Tony didn't understand. She had been __**dead.**_

_It was too fast again. The pictures - they needed to slow down. _

_He couldn't grab them. They came and left and then they were too fast and then he couldn't see-_

_Blind. He was blind. Or he was seeing in the dark but it didn't matter._

_He still couldn't see anything._

* * *

"Hey, hobo - get a job."

Tony turned, looking at the self-righteous woman who had thrown her insult across the way.

_End up in the gutter…_

The words hurt, no matter how much Tony tried to shrug them off.

He didn't want to be like this.

He wanted to wear nice things and watch movies and listen to music and dance till he was so tired he had to sleep.

He wanted to.

Couldn't she see that?

* * *

_He was running again. He ran a lot._

_In his dreams. _

_His chest didn't hitch and his breath didn't catch and he could run faster than the noises and the words and the pictures and faster than the all consuming feeling that he was missing __**something.**_

_He ran over the sidewalks and down the alleys and past the people and past the cars and he was running after someone, after a memory but no matter how fast he ran he could never catch them/him/her - and one day, Tony knew he would stop._

_Because he couldn't run forever. He would get tired and one day, he would stop and turn away._

_And never look back._

* * *

"Don't touch me."

Tony said it again adding as much venom to his voice as he could. He might be a lot of things but he wasn't dead yet.

The man smiled a feral smile and Tony would have decked him there if he had known.

But he hadn't so he had extended his hand for the handshake and ignored the way the hair on the back of his neck stood on end all the way back down the alley.

* * *

_He fought sometimes, not just at the building with the other fighters but in his dreams. _

_He was always fighting someone bigger or faster or stronger and once, Tony wished he could just win._

_He wondered if that was too much to ask._

_There was always someone there though, he was waiting to come and fight, green as the grass Tony somtimes slept on at night._

_And Tony knew he could beat him - could kill him if he wanted too._

_Tony hoped he never got in the ring with him._

* * *

Tony faked left and then threw his foot forward and felt the crunch and heard the _snap_ and knew he had won and that this no-name wouldn't be walking for awhile.

But it was the rules.

You fought till you couldn't.

And Tony always followed the rules.

Well, most of the time anyway.

* * *

_Tony stopped running one day. His breath finally caught and his chest at last hitched and he turned, breathed, and walked away. _

_Instead he fought. Every noise and word and picture and every stronger and bigger and faster person._

_He didn't want to lose._

_He had lost too much already. _

_He couldn't lose this time._

_But then, it really didn't matter._

_He had passed the point of caring a long time ago._

_There wasn't anything left for him to lose anyway._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up! School is always CRAZY around finals and I haven't had enough spare time to watch two weeks of NCIS, much less get on the computer and get this chapter ready for you guys. lol. But I have a day off before I have to start studying again so here you go! **

**Thanks to all those who reviewed! I wish I could name you specifically but you know who you are and know that I appreciate them greatly! And those lurkers out there: I appreciate you too! :)**

**Here's the next chapter. :) **

* * *

Chapter Two

"Hey, Deuce, we have a fight for you tonight, you up for it?"

Tony lifted his head slightly from the table. He was so tired.

All the time.

"Yeah," Tony said, because whether he won or lost, he still would have enough money to buy some food for tonight.

"Alright then," Mac said, smiling that awful smile that always made Tony stand on edge. "See you there then."

Mac didn't bother telling Tony what time to be "there" at because it was always the same.

You arrived at 11. And you either walked out at 1 or the cops found your beaten body in the morning

after receiving an anonymous call.

And since tomorrow was Wednesday, there was only one place they would be.

* * *

Tony's challenger was big and bulky but not as tall as Tony was.

He wore just his boxers and had a few tattoos on his body.

Something about the tattoos tickled Tony's memory but before Tony could think about it, the guy was on him. And he knew how to fight too - not just brawl like most of the guys in this place did.

And then he was using moves that Tony remembered but didn't and Tony blocked and weaved before using a dirty move to get the guy on the ground.

Tony was reaching for the man's head, placing a hand on each side, getting ready to twist and someone was telling him that this is what happened next but before he could do anything with his hands everyone was pulling him off and he was being pushed back and the guy was coughing and shaking and Tony wondered if he knew how close he had come.

Because it wasn't right for Tony to know how to kill, how to hurt.

It wasn't right that he woke up every night screaming because of the blood and gunshots and explosions.

It was times like this that Tony was happy he didn't remember much about before.

Because it was times like these that he worried about the man he had been.

And figured that maybe, it was best he didn't return to it.

"Deuce - what the hell, you almost killed him!" Mac said as he laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

"My money," Tony said, turning his face away. He didn't want to be here. But the money-

"Yeah, yeah," Mac smiled. "Always business with you. But that's all good. Here you go. You know, maybe I should stop calling you Deuce. It's been awhile since you lost."

Tony just grabbed the wad of wrinkled cash and shrugged before walking out the door.

Mac would find him in a few days when they fought again.

And Tony would fight then too.

* * *

_Sometimes, Tony couldn't breathe in his dreams._

_Sometimes blood came up when air should be leaving his mouth instead and sometimes there was someone there who would lift him up and over and he would get a moment of __**air**__ but then she - they - were gone and Tony would be left alone to gasp and hurt and die._

_Because even in the dreams where he could breathe, he was still dying._

_So very, very slowly._

* * *

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Can I have a pizza?" Tony asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure how you were supposed to do this but it seemed only logical that you asked for something and they gave you the product…right?

"What kind, sir?" The girl behind the counter looked at him and Tony could see the disgust in her eyes even if he could see the smile on her face. Eyes said everything…

"Um," Tony looked at the menu in detail. He really hadn't gotten this far in his thoughts, was surprised with himself that he had actually walked past the doors.

Because he hated being inside where the walls got closer…closer…

"Pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese," Tony said wistfully as the smell of pizzas hit his nose, making him remember something.

The girl frowned before smiling again and hitting buttons on the cash register, "Alright, how would you like to pay?"

"Cash," Tony said and handed over a twenty, being happily surprised when she handed a five and two ones back.

"It'll be ready in a bit," the girl dismissed him and moved on to the customer behind him.

But Tony didn't wait.

After a minute, Tony glanced outside and looked back at the other people in the pizzeria.

Biting his lip so hard it bleed, Tony hurried out of the door and down the street, leaving the memory and the pizza to go untouched and grow cold.

* * *

_When Tony had first started running, everything would bring a memory back. _

_At first, Tony had tried to grab at them as quickly as they came._

_Then he had dreamt of the blood and fire and the metallic taste of iron on his tongue and then Tony didn't grab at the memories anymore._

_When he had first woken up in the dark woods that day so long ago, he had shoes that hurt to run in and clothes that reminded Tony of a big man with a booming voice that sounded like his own and who had never been as nice as he seemed._

_First chance Tony got after he left the woods, he found a place that would buy his clothes and would give him money in return._

_Tony had kept the belt that had a knife as a buckle, but had given up everything else._

_Except a coin._

_Tony had had it in his pocket as long as he had been running and it didn't seem right to give it up when the guy at the store had desperately wanted it._

_Tony had just shook his head and put the coin back in his new/old/used denim jeans and walked out of the store._

_That night, he dreamt of pain and darkness and of lies that always hurt more when they came from someone you thought you knew._

* * *

Mac wanted to give him a ride.

Tony didn't know where or why but he didn't think it would be in his best interest, even if the car Mac drove was a "Mustang".

Tony didn't like cars much.

Especially since he always felt like one was going to explode the second he got close.

"Come on, Deuce," Mac smiled the smile that was fake. "I got someone I want to introduce you too."

Tony paused and bit his lip again, only this time he stopped before it started to bleed.

"Hurry up, Deuce," Mac said over-cheerfully. "I don't got all day."

"Alright," Tony said quietly, before sitting in the passenger seat.

Maybe if he stayed quiet long enough, Mac would turn on some music.

* * *

_Tony had almost walked into a police station once._

_His dreams had been bad and he kept seeing the back of a girl's head explode in a cloud of red all over him._

_Tony had walked past the police station four times before slowly walking up the steps._

_Then he had glanced inside and seen the people and had almost opened the door-_

_When a cop grabbed him and spun him around, asking if he knew him from somewhere._

_Tony had denied it, saying he had never been to Baltimore before and had thought…_

_Had thought of something._

_But soon after that, Tony had left Baltimore and gone to Philadelphia, just another town that seemed right when he saw it on the map._

_But then Philadelphia hadn't felt like home and he had kept moving till he landed in Ohio._

_There he met Mac._

_But nothing felt like home for long._

* * *

**A/N Homemade brownies for those who can get what coin Tony is talking about! :D Next chapter will be up next week (I'll be finished with finals friday so look for it then!) And once agian, don't forget to review. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry this has taken so long. Good news: Finals are almost over so this story should be posted at a much faster rate. Bad news: Some major crap has hit the fan over here and in the next few weeks, some major life altering decisions will be made in my household and family. If you are the praying sort, I would greatly appreciate them. However, because of this, I do not anticipate the next story in this verse to be up as soon as I would have hoped. I'm really sorry about this and I hope you guys understand. Stuff like this isn't planned and it's devastating when it's happening to you. Writing takes second priority to my family and hopefully, it doesn't last very long.**

**So while this story will be completed, the series itself will take longer to write because I don't have the time, or the energy. Once again, I am terribly sorry and hope that you guys can forgive me. **

**Next chapter will be up late Friday. **

* * *

Chapter Three

"I don't have enough to feed the both of us so you're better off finding someone else to follow."

But the dog didn't listen and kept following him down the alleyway.

"I'm not going to feed you."

Tony could see the ribs on the dog. But there were a few dogs like this one. Sooner or later the animal control people would pick them up and take them to the pound to be given away or to be killed.

Tony wondered if things would be better or worse if someone did that for unwanted and uncared for humans too.

* * *

_Tony didn't remember much about being little._

_He remembered that he use to climb really high and stay there, knowing that no one could touch him when he was high in the tree._

_But in his dreams, being high up was a bit scary, especially when he was free falling._

_There he would jerk and wake up and always fall out of whatever comfortable spot he had fallen into and then he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep._

_But compared to other dreams, free falling wasn't so bad._

_Even if Tony didn't always have a parachute._

* * *

Tony saw pairs almost everywhere.

Two people or two kids.

Pairs everywhere he looked.

Tony wondered if he ever had one of those, and what had happened to make them leave.

But then again, maybe he had done the leaving.

* * *

_Tony heard people use the expression "near death experience"._

_First time he heard it had been the second day he had fought in the ring._

_He'd gone against a mean old man whose nose had probably been broken more times than the guy could remember._

_Tony had stepped in the ring and when the guy had gone to punch him, Tony had done the exact thing he had done the first time he had fought._

_He had leant into every punch, made sure that the opponent's fist connected with his face._

_Because feeling his skin burn and his face ache was better than feeling nothing at all._

_After the fight, Mac had jumped into the ring and laughed at him, rolling him over so Tony could puke._

_Somewhere deep in Tony's thoughts, a voice told him that puking after getting hit in the head was never good._

_But Tony was in too much pain at the time to think about it much._

"_You just had a near death experience Deuce," Mac said, shying away when Tony puked again. "I like that," Mac smacked Tony on the shoulder. "Deuce." When Tony had first come here, he had been fighter number two. Not really wanting to tell Mac or anyone that he didn't even know if Tony was his real name, he had gone with the nickname "Deuce". It seemed to suit him just fine._

_Tony moaned and rolled onto his hands and knees, before spitting on the cold wet floor._

"_What?" Tony gasped as Mac lifted him up non-to-gently. "What?"_

"_Deuce," Mac laughed, slapping Tony again on the shoulder. "That's you name isn't it? I like it just fine."_

"_No," Tony shook his head slowly. "What you say before m'name?"_

_Mac looked at him carefully and even concussed Tony could see the cold stare and the feral smile, "Near death experience? You mean that? Cause, Deuce, let me tell you, every person we put up against Castillo always gets beaten to a pulp but you, I think you got him angry by not swinging back, Deuce."_

_Tony had just nodded. _

_He didn't remember much of that night._

_Only that Mac always said "near death experience" as if Tony actually had actually known the difference between living and dying._

_Because Tony had figured that if you could die, then you had to be living._

_And if that was so, then Tony would never be able to die._

_Cause he already was dead._

* * *

"Cut it out."

"Hey, stop -"

Tony reached from behind and grabbed the guy by the hoodie and pulled the punk who had been a few steps away from taking the woman's purse and taking off.

"I think the lady said to leave," Tony glared as he straightened up to his full height, lifting the guy by the hood of his jacket and practically throwing him forward, "And I think you should listen to her."

The guy, who looked no older than eighteen, stared wide-eyed at Tony who was towering over him for one second, before taking off down the street, glancing back to make sure Tony wasn't following him.

Watching him go for a moment more, Tony turned to the woman, who Tony just now actually looked at in detail.

She was nice looking, in that graceful sort of way, and her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun. For a second she glared at Tony, before finding something in his eyes that told her he meant her no harm.

The lady smiled slightly, "Thank you."

"Um," Tony squinted before biting his lip and shuffling his feet, knowing he was supposed to respond to that in some way but not remembering at the moment how. So he extended his hand forward, "Deuce."

The lady raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded as she shook Tony's hand, "Well, thanks I guess."

Tony sighed and nodded, before looking at the building, "You uh, live here?"

The lady looked behind her and her smile seemed to fade a bit, "For now, you?"

Tony looked at the older apartments and wondered what she wished she saw instead.

"For now," he said even though he wasn't talking about staying in the building.

"Well, I guess I'll be able to keep these," the lady huffed, adjusting her purse and shopping bags.

"I-uh," Tony looked down the street, "I got to go then."

The lady nodded before waving goodbye, her eyes following Tony's every move.

But Tony didn't see that. Instead he was too busy hurrying down the street, and silently trying to figure out why helping a person he'd never see again meant so much to him.

And why he had ever had the urge to help her in the first place.

* * *

**A/N2: Thanks for reading. And reviews are very much appreciated. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, spring semester: finally over. About time. I thought this semester was never going to end. In other news, I've caught a chest cold. Ew. **

**Here's the next chapter. Things are about the same on the homefront, which I guess is relatively good news. :) Thanks for everyone's well wishes and prayers. Next chapter will be up Sunday. **

* * *

Chapter Four

"What are you doing?" Mac asked Tony as Tony counted off his steps.

"Nothing," Tony ignored the question and continued counting, walking in a square.

He had been in a room with bars on the doors and windows and no way out. The room had been three steps one way, three and foot the other, and he had walked around and around…

"Well," Mac's obnoxious voice broke through his thoughts, "You up for a fight?"

Tony looked up and shrugged, "I'm not gonna lose."

Mac laughed a laugh that still made Tony's hair stand on edge no matter how many times he heard it, "Don't I know it."

Tony just frowned, before looking back down and counting his steps.

Maybe if he did this enough, the whisper of the memory would leave him alone.

* * *

_Tony wondered if he ever had been happy._

_He must have been, at least for a little while._

_No one could go through life totally unhappy._

_But then Tony wasn't one to say how normal people should go about their lives._

_Tony tried to dream of before._

_Before he had woken up in the forest, before he had felt the need to run and hide…_

_But no matter what, his dreams of before never stayed happy for long - or never even started off happy._

_Happy was something that Tony wasn't allowed to have._

_And no matter how hard he tried, Tony could figure out why._

* * *

Tony had been hungry.

That had been his reason the first time he had walked into Pete's bar.

The second time had been reasons Tony didn't want to admit and then the fifthteen time, Pete had gone ahead and asked the question Tony had been wanting to answer since the first time he had walked in.

"You planning on sticking around?"

But then suddenly, Tony hadn't known how to answer the question because he never remembered being asked one like it before.

So he went with what he knew.

"It's quiet here," Tony practically whispered, afraid of providing the right answer and terrified of giving the wrong one. So he deflected - it was the only thing he could do.

"I guess so," Pete said, lifting an eyebrow at Tony's response but otherwise not commenting on it.

"Alright then," Tony nodded, as if that settled it.

And really, as far as either of them was concerned, it did.

* * *

_After Tony had let other fighters beat the crap out of him every time he got in the ring, he decided that feeling **that** kind of pain didn't amount to much at all._

_So one day, a guy he didn't know and never saw again spit on him as Tony kneeled on the ground, trying to recover his breath after taking a shot to the gut. _

"_Piece of shit," the man had kicked him for good measure before stepping away, waiting for Mac to call it over._

_Looking back, Tony didn't know what the difference was in this fight compared to the others._

_But when Mac had been on count nine, Tony had jumped up and sucker punched the other guy in the ring so hard he heard and felt the man's facial bones give way underneath his fist._

_It was then that Tony decided he much rather be angry, if he could be anything at all._

* * *

"Gonna fight today?" Mac smiled as he pulled up beside Tony, who was making his way down the empty street.

"No," Tony shook his head, glancing around to see if he was close to the street that lead to Pete's bar.

One more block to go, and Tony breathed a sigh of relief at the thought though he didn't know why.

"Come on Deuce, got a nice one lined up for you," Mac said, rubbing his thumb and pointer finger together, "This one has some nice benefits, if you know what I'm saying."

Tony looked down the street and rolled his shoulder, loosening it up, "No."

Mac's smile didn't falter, instead he laughed and hit the side of his car once, "See you around then. I know where to find you."

Watching the car drive away, Tony knew the last sentence had been more than just a casual phrase.

* * *

_Tony didn't remember important stuff from before. _

_But that didn't mean he didn't know what important stuff was._

_Mac was not important._

_The coin that he kept in his pocket was, as was the knife in the buckle of his black worn belt. _

_Pete could be._

_But he was missing something._

_And he couldn't remember what._

_Couldn't figure out what went in the hole that was in him._

_Because nothing he found had fit in it so far._

* * *

Pete was nice in a mean sort of way.

Tony knew that didn't make complete sense but he had figured out that most things in his life didn't.

Pete let him stay in the back room when he didn't want to go anywhere else.

Pete didn't mind that Tony took longer to clean the bar after hours because he got distracted and Pete didn't mind when Tony would stay in his room for days, not moving and just counting the holes in the wall.

But Pete got mad when he didn't eat and always yelled at him like he was mad but Tony could hear worry in his voice when he listened close enough.

But most days, Tony didn't have enough energy to listen or he didn't care to hear.

He was just waiting for the day that Pete made him leave.

Because Tony didn't care anymore.

* * *

_Tony had dreamed of mazes._

_Once, the maze had been dark and wet everywhere he went and the whole time Tony felt his heart beating faster and faster and Tony knew that if he stopped that someone would kill him._

_But sometimes, Tony was in other kinds of mazes. Mazes that didn't smell of death or fear._

_These mazes smelt like something Tony couldn't remember and when he had first dreamt of this maze, _

_Tony had been afraid and tried to get out, hurrying down every passage and getting more lost until he fell down and woke up._

_But that had been a long time ago._

_Tony dreamt of mazes once more._

_Only this time he was too tired to even try and make it past the first corner._

* * *

Pete looked at him worried like even though his eyes showed anger.

Tony figured that Pete was a body filled of contradictions and that no matter how hard he tried, not that he did anymore, he would never be able to figure Pete out.

Pete liked to yell a lot.

But Tony had never found anyone more calm in his life.

Pete made Tony work in the bar, but Tony was finding it harder and harder to just get out of bed.

And now, every time Tony dreamed, things got darker and darker.

Tony knew that one day, he would disappear into the darkness and no one would be able to find him.

* * *

_Tony's last fight was just as…non-climatic as his first._

_Tony stepped into the ring, facing off a kid younger than him who probably would become trapped in a __world of violence and money just because he liked to punch people around._

_Tony didn't say anything about it though because he had been like the kid…at one point anyway._

_But the fight had left him, just as quickly as it had come._

_There was no anger left._

_Only sorrow that was going to eat him from the inside out._

_And as Tony leaned into the punch and made sure the kid had a wide open shot, Tony could only hope the end would be quick._

* * *

**A/N2: Sorry it was so depressing. But I mean come on. Tony lost his identity. Cut him some slack. :) Thanks for reading and if you don't mind, reviews are greatly appreciated. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry that this wasn't up on Sunday. Life here has been crazy! While the situation has resolved somewhat (thanks for all your prayers) a few days ago, a little beagle puppy was added to our family. We have been waiting close to a year for her and she was worth the wait. But, as any of you out there who have ever had a puppy know, they are alot of work. **

**Thanks to all those who read and reviewed. It is very much appreciated. :) The next and final chapter will be up Wednesday. Hopefuuly :) **

* * *

Chapter Five

Pete walked in yelling, opening Tony's door loudly, but Tony closed his eyes and wished Pete away. It was morning. Tony didn't work till after lunch and it wasn't time yet.

"Here," Pete said in his gruff voice that Tony had heard almost every day for the last few months after he had stopped fighting and started working with Pete.

Something made a light _thump_ on his bed but Tony didn't move.

He worked and slept. No more fighting, no more walking around town. No more anything.

Pete knew as much as Tony knew about himself. Tony had told him the fourteenth time he had walked through the door.

He didn't know who he was.

His name was Tony or Deuce. He had a coin that had the Navy sign on it with the words "_Serectary of the Navy" _printed on it as well; he also had a belt that had a knife in the buckle.

And he didn't know what else to do.

Back then, when Tony had first told Pete all this, Pete had lifted an eyebrow at him and asked him if he could still clean a table without memories.

Tony had figured he could.

Pete had looked at him then like he was looking at him now.

"You know, you blow that whole five stages of grief right out of the water," Pete said suddenly quiet, even though Tony felt each word as if it had been shouted, "But I'll see you in five for lunch."

_Lunch?_

It couldn't be lunch. Tony had woken up when the delivery guy dropped off the morning paper, he hadn't been in bed that long. He didn't…

The thing that Pete had put on his bed freaking moved.

Tony opened his eyes fully and looked at the…thing that was on his bed.

It was black and slobbery and had brown eyes that seemed to pull you right in.

Well.

* * *

_Pete had had a dog._

_Right after he'd come back from 'Nam._

_Tony didn't need to be told to remember about that war. His memory was funny like that. He knew about things like wars and dates._

_He could remember tons and tons of football and basketball plays._

_He could remember a lot of movie titles._

_But when it came to his last name or even his birthday, Tony couldn't remember one detail._

_Pete had had a mutt, a pit bull mix who had been a mean old dog until Pete had gone and saved him from a shelter._

_Pete had been in a bad place then, from what Tony gathered, and a dog had helped him._

_Pete figured, he told Tony, that this dog could help Tony just the same._

* * *

The puppy came from Pete's friend, who gave Pete the puppy when he had asked for one.

Pete was pretty sure the puppy was a Black Labrador mix, he told Tony.

The day Tony got the puppy, he got out of bed and had to change the sheets because the puppy peed on them.

After asking Pete to take the dog back, Tony had tried to go back in bed only to have the puppy be placed right back on his bed.

"He's going to need to eat and go to the bathroom soon," Pete had said it like he was angry but Tony had looked and Pete's eyes had been smiling, "So I recon if you don't want to get wet again, you better get off your ass and do something."

Tony didn't moved until Pete left and even then it was only to place the puppy gently on his chest.

The puppy wagged his tail as if Tony hadn't yelled and cursed at him only minutes ago, and Tony found himself rubbing the puppy's ears.

"I don't know what to do with you," Tony whispered quietly, looking at the small animal who looked back at Tony as if he were the best thing on the planet.

"I don't know how to take care of anything," Tony continued, "I don't even remember if I've ever had a dog before."

But no matter what Tony said, the puppy just sat still and wagged his tail.

And thirty minutes later when the puppy had another accident on the bed, this time involving something much worse than pee, Tony got out of bed and grabbed a shirt.

Now he had to take a shower.

* * *

_The dream that Tony dreamed the most was probably the first one he could ever remember._

_He had been in a forest, and it had been dark._

_He had had things on him, things that had scared him so bad that he had left them in the forest and run for his life, though he couldn't remember exactly...why._

_There had been voices there too, and Tony knew that it was those voices that followed all his dreams, some yelling, some whispering but all of them sounded sad and angry._

_Tony wondered what the dream meant, if he had done something in that forest or if the ending of all his memories from before began there._

_He could never remember though, other than a voice calling his name._

_But Anthony had always seemed like a mouthful and he liked Tony better anyway._

_And besides, everyone called him Deuce. It didn't really matter what his real name had been before._

_At least that's what Tony kept telling himself._

* * *

"The pup needs a name," Pete said from behind the counter as Tony cleaned and got the bar ready for opening. On Mondays, Pete didn't open till three.

"Then give him one," Tony responded, still sore at Pete for not leaving him alone this morning.

But Pete glared at Tony, "He ain't my dog."

"He isn't mine either," Tony said quietly, his anger not being able to stay lit for very long. When Tony had fought in the ring, his anger had burned so bright and fast that Tony wondered if it would one day devour him completely.

Now he knew that just because the fire left didn't mean it took Tony with it.

"Well," Pete said again, ignoring the previous comments as if they had never happened, "The pup needs a name."

Tony tried to glare back, found he didn't have the energy for it, and instead went back to cleaning, ignoring the puppy yelps and whines that followed him around.

He couldn't name something else when he didn't even know what his own was.

* * *

_Tony didn't want to look at the puppy and feel a spark of something…unusually familiar._

_Tony hadn't felt anything like it in so long._

_But the puppy didn't ask questions, didn't care that Tony couldn't remember his birthday, or even if he'd ever had any parents or what their names had been._

_The puppy liked to play and cuddle and liked to sleep on Tony's chest at night, his puppy head resting on Tony's heart._

_The puppy liked to follow Tony everywhere and never seemed to mind that some days Tony just couldn't get out of bed. That on those days, the darkness won and held him down like a cage. _

_But the puppy didn't mind._

_The puppy barked at the birds because he wanted to and the puppy ran in the grass because it was fun._

_There never had to be a real reason for anything the puppy did, other than the puppy __**was**__._

_The puppy liked to bite Tony's toes and liked to roll over and wiggle as Tony rubbed his belly and the puppy didn't mind that some days Tony couldn't seem to stop crying._

_The puppy ate and drank and played and grew because that was what being alive was all about._

_Tony wondered if one day the puppy would share the secret._

* * *

"Leroy."

"What?"

"That's what I want to name him."

"Why?" Pete asked, flipping through the books.

Tony opened his mouth to respond but found that he couldn't find an answer. The name felt like part of a joke, or half of one at least, but Tony didn't understand the punch line, or at least couldn't remember why it should be funny.

So instead of answering he leant down and picked the puppy – Leroy - up and rubbed the black puppy's ear.

Pete looked from Tony to the puppy, lifting an eyebrow.

"Doesn't look like a Leroy," Pete flipped the books closed and leaned forward on the bar, "Why not just Lee?"

Tony bit his lip, looked from Pete to the puppy.

"Lee," Tony said and smiled when the puppy sneezed and shook his head.

"Well alright then," Pete nodded and got back to working, leaving Tony to sit and look at the puppy who now had a name.

Maybe, Tony thought, just maybe…

Things would be better tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N2: Hope you guys enjoyed the update. Out of all the chapters in this story, this is probably my favorite. :) Reviews are welcomed. :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Have any of you gone through such a hectic and stressful week that you realize, sometime in the middle of the night (you are awake because you suffer chronic insomnia) that it is actually Friday when you could have sworn it was only Wednesday? Yeah. I did. And I apologize becuase this week has been _really_crazy. And I just found out I have to make an emergency out of town trip. Not fun. **

**Here is the last chapter to this story. Thank you so much for sticking with me this far. The next part of this story will _hopefully_ be up soon. But rest assured, I plan on finishing this series before August. :) Thanks to all you guys who read and muchas thanks to all those who reviewed.**

* * *

Chapter Six

"So I'm assuming," Mac said as he corned him outside Pete's bar one night, "You aren't going to fight anymore?"

Tony's fingers played with Lee's leash as he squared up to Mac – who, Tony suddenly noticed, was much smaller and shorter than him. Tony had never noticed that before.

"No," Tony said quietly. "Not anymore."

Mac smiled then, that feral smile that Tony hated, and stepped forward.

"You sure that's a wise decision Deuce?" Mac said with that smile on his face, though his tone of voice held a whole different connotation entirely.

Tony played with Lee's red leash some more and rolled his shoulders, "Yes."

Mac made that "awh-shucks" noise and gestured to someone who had been in the car with him.

Two people got out, and though only one of them was physically bigger than Tony, having bats and a concealed gun made them much more powerful than Tony could ever be at the moment.

"Well," Mac said, stepping over slightly to give the two other guys some room, "I think me and my friends here think you should…reconsider."

Lee, who liked almost every creature that lived on the green earth, surprisingly took a step back and let out a small growl.

Mac laughed at the dog and reached down and drew out a gun of his own.

Knowing that he could do nothing to stop what was about to happen, Tony stepped in front of Lee hoping to save his six month old dog who still had a lot of growing and living left to do.

Both dog and humans jumped when the sound of a shotgun being loaded was heard.

Tony turned, taking his eyes off his almost attackers, and was greeted by the sight of Pete aiming his shot gun at Mac and his buddies.

"Now I now you ain't the smartest bunch," Pete drawled out, spitting out a bit of chewing tobacco as he stared them down. Sliding the pump on the shotgun, Pete adjusted his aim once more before spitting again, "But I don't see a ballpark 'round here."

Pete had always been a man of few words and Tony knew that Pete was going to let the 12-guage shotgun do the rest of the talking for him.

Mac scowled and for a few seconds Tony held his breath, his fingers turning white from the grip he had on Lee's collar.

_Please…_

Finally, Mac smiled again before turning to Tony.

"Be seeing you around, Deuce," he tapped Tony on the check before walking back to the car, his slow measured walk showing everyone that he didn't really care that Pete still had a loaded shotgun aimed at his back.

Tony didn't move from his position until all three men were back in their car and around the corner.

Then, Tony let himself kneel on the floor before promptly throwing up.

"Hey," Tony heard Pete switch the safety on before he bent down and laid a hand on Tony's shoulder, "You okay, kid?"

Tony spit one last time, being careful to keep Lee away from the mess, before nodding and turning to face Pete.

"Thank you," Tony whispered. He meant it with all his heart. As long as Tony remembered, which wasn't very long he admitted, no one had stood up for him that way. And Pete had done it and Tony knew if he hadn't…

Lee, who let out a whine, nosed his way into Tony's lap, his tail hitting Tony's leg as it wagged.

"I'm alright boy," Tony rubbed Lee's ear before petting the spot right between his eyes, "Pete here made sure of that."

Tony turned to Pete and accepted Pete's hand up, "Really, Pete, I mean, you didn't-"

Pete scowled slightly, but Tony could still see that mirth in his eyes, "Was nothing. I've faced worse in 'Nam. Now, get inside before anyone sees me with this. We need to talk."

Tony smiled and followed Pete inside, Lee keeping pace with him the whole way.

* * *

_Tony knew, as much as he knew anything, that staying around this place wasn't going to work._

_He didn't know anyone here and no matter where he went, no where felt like home._

_Tony hadn't stayed long in the first place he had been at, and by the time he figured that he should __**know**__ where he was, it didn't really matter much._

_Tony didn't even know where he was headed so knowing where he'd come from…_

_Well, it didn't matter much either._

_At first, Tony had walked everywhere. It had given him something to do and as he walked, Tony tried to piece the pieces of himself, the small pieces he could find, together._

_It wasn't much and Tony knew it was never enough but he got by._

_Walking helped and thinking helped and it was times like those, walking along the street to a rhythm only he heard, that Tony could pretend everything was okay._

* * *

"I'm going to have to leave," Tony said quietly, slowly drinking ginger ale to ease his queasy stomach.

The look in Mac's eyes…he knew that Mac wouldn't leave him alone. Not now that he had been "shown up" by Pete. By leaving, Tony was costing Mac alot of money. And Mac hated losing money.

But for the first time ever, Tony found himself not wanting to say goodbye.

"I'd reckon that's true," Pete nodded, spitting out into his dip cup, "Been meaning to talk to you about that."

Tony nodded and waited for the other shoe that he'd been waiting to drop since the moment Pete had invited him to stay.

Pete was going to ask him to leave.

It was just the way things went.

* * *

_Tony dreamed of a big house. A mansion really._

_It had tons of room and hallways and even though it was huge, Tony never got lost in his dream._

_He knew where he was going, even if Tony didn't really __**know**__, and he would race along the hallways and corridors and push past doors and all the while, Tony could feel himself laughing._

_But he rarely laughed for long because soon, parts of the house would start disappearing and without the pieces Tony started getting lost._

_And the more lost he got, the sadder he became._

_Till a man appeared, twice Tony's size with a voice that reminded Tony of thunder, and lifted him up and out._

_Then Tony could only watch as the last pieces of the house disappeared completely and Tony was left alone._

* * *

"I'll be out of your hair by tonight," Tony decided to do this quick, like ripping off a band-aid, "I don't have a lot and if you want you can keep Lee," Tony's voice cracked slightly on that last part but Tony pushed onward because this was life and he had been stupid to think it could ever be different, "I mean, I don't know when I'll get another job but Lee will be happy and safe with you and that way Mac and those guys won't hurt either of you or bug you-"

Suddenly, Tony felt the pain receptors light up on the back up his head, effectively silencing him.

"Kid," Pete smirked, after he had promptly head slapped Tony so he would shut up, "Sometimes, you talk too damn much."

Tony opened and closed his mouth, imitating a drowning fish perfectly, before swallowing, "What?"

"Well," Pete said shrugging his shoulder, "I got a call a few days ago. From my brother down in Texas."

Suddenly, Tony understood. He wasn't going to be doing the leaving this time.

Someone else was.

* * *

_Tony shifted his weight, hoping to find a more comfortable spot on the floor. Shifting once more before giving up, Tony sighed and closed his eyes, letting the movement of the train car underneath lull him to sleep. _

_Next stop was hours away and Tony knew that if he slept he might miss it._

_But then it really didn't matter. Baltimore hadn't felt like home. And more than likely, Ohio wouldn't either._

_So he let the rubble of the train car wheels and the movement of the train beacon him to sleep._

_He had no where special to be anyway._

* * *

A part of Tony felt relieved that it wasn't him doing the leaving. At least this way, he didn't share all the blame.

"-been asking for some help. Figured I head down there till his treatments were done and I was meaning to ask if you'd come with me," Pete finished, looking at Tony sideways.

"What?" Tony said again, not understand those last few words.

Did Pete just say…

"I want you to come with me," Pete smiled now at Tony's wide-eyed expression.

In the span of only a couple of minutes, Tony had felt his heart in his throat - when Mac had lifted that gun - to only fall in his stomach when Pete told him he was leaving.

But now…

Now Tony didn't know exactly where his heart was at the moment.

But he could only guess it was somewhere in the upper atmosphere.

"Okay," Tony said, knowing that Pete didn't need anything more.

"Alright," Pete nodded before turning back to write something in the tax book he kept behind the counter.

Alright, Tony thought.

It wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst but it was alright.

Compared to where he started and where he was now, Tony was alright.

And that was something that he could work with.

* * *

**A/N2: First little story done! Was it confusing: A bit. But then, I tried to write it from Tony's perspective. But then, wouldn't you be confused if you woke up in the forest with no memory of how you got there and who you were? **

**Once agian, I'll make a note in this story when the next one is up so all those who have this on alert will see it. Next story (as soon as I have enough time to send it to my beta and receive it back) will be up soon. I hope. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**

The next story in this series: _The Saving Interlude_ is finally up!

Thanks to all those who are reading and reviewing!


End file.
